by: Traci Douglass
Series: Royal Christmas at Seattle General
Genre: Contemporary Medical Romance
Release Date: November 1, 2020
Publisher: Harlequin Medical Romances
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Christmastime with a stranger—
A lifetime together?
Neurosurgeon Maxwell is determined to atone for the one life he couldn’t save…his late wife’s. Set to perform delicate surgery on a king, Max finds himself shadowed by PR director Ayanna. They must work together to keep the king’s case a secret. But when Ayanna temporarily moves in to Max’s apartment, they face a very different type of tension—their undeniable attraction!
I’m good, Kim! Thanks so much for having me back on your blog today.
You are very welcome. Let’s talk about your latest book Neurosurgeon’s Christmas to Remember from Harlequin Medical Romance. What can you tell me about it?
Well, it’s a holiday story. Obviously. LOL. About two lonely people who are forced together over Christmas and who grow to love one another in a whirlwind romance. It’s chock full of opposites attract, forced proximity, holiday trope-y goodness. The book is actually part of a continuity, Royal Christmas at Seattle General. A few of the main characters can be found appearing in the other books, but each story is a standalone with its own HEA for that couple.
Tell me about the characters of Ayanna Franklin and Max Granger.
Ayanna is the oldest of five children and grew up always taking care of others. She’s great at organizing and multi-tasking and putting out fires and uses those same talents as an adult in her job as a PR director. She’s risen to the top of her profession at a young age and is a real go-getter. She’s also new at Seattle General and winds up being in charge of keeping an eye on Max while he’s in town for the king’s surgery on her very first day at the hospital. She is used to being in charge and handling problems, so when he messes with her busy schedule by going AWOL, she’s determined not to let it happen again, since it could put her new job in jeopardy.
Max is also at the top of his game as a neurosurgeon. After losing his wife two years prior, he’s traveled the world and become something of a celebrity himself taking care of his famous patients. He’s dealt with his grief by basically not dealing with it. Instead, he’s kept himself so busy he doesn’t have time to think about what he’s lost and how lonely and isolated he’s become. When he first meets Ayanna at the hospital, he fights against her, not wanting to be tied down or “babysat” and also there’s the issue of his instant attraction to her. But fate throws them together and because of the holidays, they end up having to share a hotel suite together. It’s not “one bed”, but it’s definitely close quarters, and being around vivacious Ayanna makes him finally take a step back and realize his late wife would want him to be happy and what he’s missing in his life—connection and intimacy and true love.
I know what I love about these two individually and as a couple. What do you love about them?
I always love a good opposites attract trope. So much fun to write characters that spark off each other like these two do. Also, the family aspect with Ayanna was super fun for me to delve into. I’m an only child, but I have a huge extended family, and holidays growing up were always a blast! Getting to share some of that fun through Ayanna’s family on the page was great, especially right now when we’re not able to get together like usual.
Neurosurgeon’s Christmas to Remember is the second book in the Royal Christmas at Seattle General series. Tell me more about the continuity aspect of the series.
This is actually the first continuity that I’ve been a part of, so I’m not really sure how they go. LOL! But in this particular one, some of the other characters do make appearances in the other books. What really ties these books together is King Roberto of Isole Verde. His accident and course of treatment and how it affects his family members and also his neurosurgeon and his bodyguard is what ties all four books together. His journey is completed over the four books in the continuity, while each couple’s story is completed with an HEA within their respective book.
I was surprised by how much I loved Ayanna’s family. They definitely played a nice role in the story. Did you always intend for them to be so loving, close-knit, and nosy?
Yep. As I mentioned above, I come from a large extended family and we’re all really close, even now as adults. I’m used to families who are like that and all up in each other’s busy. LOL. I know not everyone has that though and I feel very blessed.
Of course, I have favorite scenes. Can you tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book, and why is it a favorite?
Hmmm. I’ve got a couple. It was fun to write the airport scene, because it reminded me of those great airport holiday dashes you see in the movies. Like at the end of Love Actually, when Sam goes chasing after the little girl he loves. I also loved the Thanksgiving scene when they share their first kiss, mainly because it reminded me of all those great family dinners I had as a kid.
The Thanksgiving scene was definitely a favorite of mine. The story takes place over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you like one holiday over the other? If so, why?
Not really. I love them both for different reasons. Thanksgiving is all about the food (Ha!) and visiting with people you maybe only see once a year.
Christmas, to me, is more about snuggling in front of the tree and sharing gifts and playing board games with family.
Are there any fun facts about Neurosurgeon’s Christmas to Remember? If so, can you please share some?
The Christmas parade in downtown Seattle is a real thing. So is the Moosemobile. Oh, and the Polar Club Hotel and ballroom are based on the real-life historic Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle. Google them all for some fabulous pictures!
Did you find any scene or scenes, in particular, to be hard to write? If so, can you tell me about it/them?
Not really. I mean, the medical scenes, obviously, take a bit more research and I watched a lot of videos on the procedure Max does on the king to make sure I got the details right. Amazing what you can find on YouTube. LOL. Then trying to translate that in a way that won’t bore the reader to death or gross them out is always challenging.
What can readers look forward to from you next?
At the moment I’m in the middle of writing my first duet for the Medicals line. It takes place in Key West, Florida during a hurricane, so a complete 180 from Christmas in Seattle. LOL. Book one was just accepted last week (yay!) and Book two is due mid-November, so I’m working to get that one done and turned in by deadline. The stories feature two adopted brothers, Jackson (an EMT) and Luis (an ER doc). Harlequin has titled the duet Florida’s First Response, and Book 1 is The Vet’s Unexpected Hero and Book 2 is The Nurse’s One-Night Secret. They’ll be out in 2021!
I’m looking forward to reading them. Traci, thank you for answering some questions for me.
Thanks for having me on again, Kim! It’s a bit early, but Happy Holidays to you and yours and until next time, Happy Reading!
Thank you, Traci. Same to you.
“Stifling a yawn, he pressed the metal accessibility button on the wall with his hip to open the door then backed out into the hallway, only to collide backend first with a woman.
“Sorry,” he said, swiveling fast. “Didn’t see you there.”
“Unless you’ve got eyes in the back of your head, I’d say not,” she said, giving him a small smile. “Then again, I swear my mother always seems to know what’s going on behind her, so...”
Max stared at the petite black woman with her stylish blue business suit and killer high heels. His first thought was that she was cute. Really cute. In fact, she reminded him of an actress he’d seen in a movie recently during one of his many flights. Same smooth skin. Same bright smile. Same adorable dimples.
Whoa. What?
Max shook his head. He didn’t care about her cuteness or her dimples or anything else. That wasn’t what he was here for. He was here to work. Period.
Still they stared at each other across the span of a few feet and Max swallowed hard against the unwanted interest clawing inside him. Then his old work ethic intervened, bringing him back to his senses. He had no business noticing anything about this woman, other than the fact she was currently in his way. The King’s results from the post-op CT scan should be back soon and he needed to check them. No time to stand here gawking over a beautiful woman with wide brown eyes and a smile that made the dark clouds around him vanish for a moment. Before he could contemplate why, one of the surgical nurses called to him from down the hall.
“Films are ready, Dr. Granger.”
“Right.” He looked back at the woman who was still standing there with her head tilted and her arms crossed, one brow still raised at him as if he were a naughty schoolboy and not an accomplished brain surgeon. “Excuse me,” he said, frowning. “Sorry again.”
Instead of leaving her behind, however, the woman followed him to the nurses’ station. “I’m sorry too, Dr. Granger, but you’re not getting away from me again so easily.”
“What?” Baffled, he glanced over at her. “Look, I have a patient to deal with, Miss...?”
“Franklin. And, please, do your work,” she said, then pulled out her phone and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’ll wait, don’t worry.”
He glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed this strange conversation, but the nurses were all busy. One of them waved him over to a computer. “Doctor.”
Max walked around the desk and took a seat to click through the CT images of the “King’s brain, irritated with himself for getting distracted. Thankfully, everything looked clear and he nodded at the surgical nurse who’d assisted him in the OR. “Looks good. Thanks for your help on such short notice.”
“Thank you, Dr. Granger, for being so appreciative,” she said, smiling. “Not everyone is.”
“Of course.” He let her have her seat back. Nurses were the heart and soul of the hospital and could be a doctor’s staunchest ally or his worst nightmare. He preferred the former and always tried to be kind and courteous no matter what the situation. He moved to a private corner of the desk to phone Dr. di Rossi and update him on the King’s condition. Max was one of the few people at the hospital who knew that the head of the ER was actually King Roberto’s son and therefore Prince of Isolde Verde, heir apparent to the throne. He couldn’t treat the King properly without a full and accurate medical and family history. As he spoke in hushed tones to Dr. di Rossi, Max could still feel the weight of Miss Franklin’s gaze on the nape of his neck, burning a hole through his skin along with his composure. Annoyed, he rubbed the area, as if that might make her go away. She was persistent. He’d give her that.
Finally, he turned around, determined to put a swift end to this odd encounter. “Look, Miss Franklin,” Max said, doing his best to keep the annoyance from his voice and failing miserably, if her flat stare was any indication, “I’m not sure who you are or—”
“I’m the PR Director for this hospital and the woman who was supposed to pick you up at the airport. But you left without me and I’ve spent the last few hours tracking you down. You’ve already disrupted my busy schedule enough and I won’t let that happen again. So, here are some ground rules going forward,” she said, her crisp words scraping against his already overtaxed nervous system.
“Once you’re changed, I’m taking you to your hotel for the night. Next, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and each day following to deliver you here to the hospital to see the King. At the “end of the day, I’ll take you back to your hotel again. Until the King’s case is closed and my office has a firm lid on the press about this accident, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. Any questions?”
“Sorry,” he said, swiveling fast. “Didn’t see you there.”
“Unless you’ve got eyes in the back of your head, I’d say not,” she said, giving him a small smile. “Then again, I swear my mother always seems to know what’s going on behind her, so...”
Max stared at the petite black woman with her stylish blue business suit and killer high heels. His first thought was that she was cute. Really cute. In fact, she reminded him of an actress he’d seen in a movie recently during one of his many flights. Same smooth skin. Same bright smile. Same adorable dimples.
Whoa. What?
Max shook his head. He didn’t care about her cuteness or her dimples or anything else. That wasn’t what he was here for. He was here to work. Period.
Still they stared at each other across the span of a few feet and Max swallowed hard against the unwanted interest clawing inside him. Then his old work ethic intervened, bringing him back to his senses. He had no business noticing anything about this woman, other than the fact she was currently in his way. The King’s results from the post-op CT scan should be back soon and he needed to check them. No time to stand here gawking over a beautiful woman with wide brown eyes and a smile that made the dark clouds around him vanish for a moment. Before he could contemplate why, one of the surgical nurses called to him from down the hall.
“Films are ready, Dr. Granger.”
“Right.” He looked back at the woman who was still standing there with her head tilted and her arms crossed, one brow still raised at him as if he were a naughty schoolboy and not an accomplished brain surgeon. “Excuse me,” he said, frowning. “Sorry again.”
Instead of leaving her behind, however, the woman followed him to the nurses’ station. “I’m sorry too, Dr. Granger, but you’re not getting away from me again so easily.”
“What?” Baffled, he glanced over at her. “Look, I have a patient to deal with, Miss...?”
“Franklin. And, please, do your work,” she said, then pulled out her phone and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’ll wait, don’t worry.”
He glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed this strange conversation, but the nurses were all busy. One of them waved him over to a computer. “Doctor.”
Max walked around the desk and took a seat to click through the CT images of the “King’s brain, irritated with himself for getting distracted. Thankfully, everything looked clear and he nodded at the surgical nurse who’d assisted him in the OR. “Looks good. Thanks for your help on such short notice.”
“Thank you, Dr. Granger, for being so appreciative,” she said, smiling. “Not everyone is.”
“Of course.” He let her have her seat back. Nurses were the heart and soul of the hospital and could be a doctor’s staunchest ally or his worst nightmare. He preferred the former and always tried to be kind and courteous no matter what the situation. He moved to a private corner of the desk to phone Dr. di Rossi and update him on the King’s condition. Max was one of the few people at the hospital who knew that the head of the ER was actually King Roberto’s son and therefore Prince of Isolde Verde, heir apparent to the throne. He couldn’t treat the King properly without a full and accurate medical and family history. As he spoke in hushed tones to Dr. di Rossi, Max could still feel the weight of Miss Franklin’s gaze on the nape of his neck, burning a hole through his skin along with his composure. Annoyed, he rubbed the area, as if that might make her go away. She was persistent. He’d give her that.
Finally, he turned around, determined to put a swift end to this odd encounter. “Look, Miss Franklin,” Max said, doing his best to keep the annoyance from his voice and failing miserably, if her flat stare was any indication, “I’m not sure who you are or—”
“I’m the PR Director for this hospital and the woman who was supposed to pick you up at the airport. But you left without me and I’ve spent the last few hours tracking you down. You’ve already disrupted my busy schedule enough and I won’t let that happen again. So, here are some ground rules going forward,” she said, her crisp words scraping against his already overtaxed nervous system.
“Once you’re changed, I’m taking you to your hotel for the night. Next, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and each day following to deliver you here to the hospital to see the King. At the “end of the day, I’ll take you back to your hotel again. Until the King’s case is closed and my office has a firm lid on the press about this accident, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. Any questions?”
Purchase Neurosurgeon's Christmas to Remember from:
The Royal Christmas at Seattle General Series:
Falling for the Secret Prince by Alison Roberts ~ Review
📚 Neurogsurgeon's Christmas to Remember ~ Review 📚
The Bodyguard’s Christmas Proposal by Charlotte Hawkes releases December 1, 2020
The Princess’s Christmas Baby by Louisa George releases December 1, 2020
Fresh, Flirty, Fun. Sweet, Sexy Romance.
Traci Douglass is a USA Today Bestselling Author whose stories feature sizzling heroes with humor, quick wits and troubled pasts and heroines who are smart, tenacious, and always give as good as they get. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and she loves cute animals, chocolate, coffee, hot UK actors, and sarcasm—not necessarily in that order.
Her books are published with Harlequin/Mills & Boon, Entangled Publishing, and Tule Publishing.
Places to find Traci Douglass:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | Amazon Author Page
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